Sunday, March 6, 2011

Enough Fluff

Our walk continues from the previous post with a few simple quotes and photos below. I hope you enjoy them.



cat in the path
Snow flurries began to fall and they swirled around people's legs like house cats. It was magical, this snow globe world.
~ Sarah Addison Allen




snowy geese2
I look out of this window and I think this is a cosmos, this is a huge creation, this is one small corner of it. The trees and birds and everything else and I'm part of it. I didn't ask to be put here, I've been lucky in finding myself here.
~ Morris West




singing cardinal2
A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.
~ C.S. Lewis




snowy maple leaf2
Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind.
~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge





snowbench3
I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."
~ Lewis Carroll



Most of the snow has since melted. We've been enjoying milder, albeit rainy weather this weekend. Maybe Spring will soon come calling. Thanks for joining me.

79 comments:

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Been a long time since I've seen a cat sitting in the snow. But, did see a male cardinal in the brown of a tree the other day.

I'd like to sit on that bench. And yes, spring is spreading. White flowers out on a tree on my street and very light lime green on another tree. My yard is flittering with the dropping of Live Oak leaves. Gardens covered in winter's brown. Always fun to blow them off and discover the green that has survived the winter's cold and now comes back to life. Gives hope. Never quite understood hope before. Now I do.

Frank Baron said...

The largely monochromatic images work nicely on their own but really help the cardinal and the leaf jump off the screen. That cat must spend a lot of time outdoors to appear so relaxed while sitting in snow. Good stuff. :)

Dan said...

I just adore the second image in this series. Your decision to go black & white worked really well. I really like the composition! Great exposure and balanced tones enhanced the open water and frozen section.

Anonymous said...

Great quotes linking some fabulous shots. Well done you!

Dawn said...

Lovely continuation of the walk.
I wanted to yell out..."Here kitty kitty" in the alleyway, and sit and watch the beautiful red in the tree from the bench.

Anyes said...

I could see myself sitting on this snow covered bench just mesmerized by the surrounding beauty. Snow looks so pretty through your lens. Thank you, Hilary

tattytiara said...

A red robin against a pink sky, how magical! Your perspective perfectly sets off his attitude. There's so much going on in that shot it's insane. Really love the one with the kitty, too - the textures of the house siding blending into fence really draw the eye in.

Glo said...

What striking photos! Your choice of quotes add warmth and wisdom to your snowclad photos. A black and white cat sat, just like that ~ and stole the photo! In the starkness of a winter scene, a ball of fluff breathes life. A perfect quote for the cardinal as well...and I think Lewis Carroll, sitting on that bench ;), has it covered. When I see the tightly wrapped buds cocooned in their winter coats, I know that Spring is eventually going to pop ~ I'm very much in agreement with you...enough fluff already!

Zuzana said...

So wintry! Nevertheless beuatiful and very enjoyable to see such postcard like photography still, even now. Images such as these will not return for another 9 months at least.;)
Here the last snow has almost vanished, we too had a few first days of spring and the weekend has been so far gorgeous.
Have a lovely Sunday dear Hilary,
xoxo

Birdie said...

I love the cat image. Somehow, at this moment he belongs to the cold and snowy world. He is content enough that he must have a warm world to return to.

Bob Bushell said...

Well, the cat seems to like it, brrrrrr, I am cold. Beautiful pictures.

Moannie said...

Too good. The bird, the leaf, the clarity, the words, the cat with the icy bum...too good. Thank you.

Sueann said...

Your photos are wonderful!! The cat in the snow is fabulous!! Thanks for taking me on this walk with you!! Next time I will bring the thermos of hot chocolate!!
Hugs
SueAnn

sage said...

Your photos are wonderful as are the quotes. Thanks for sharing. I have a large dogwood out back, that partly covers the kitchen window, where cardinals often perch. In the snow, it's such a graceful scene.

DJan said...

I am always amazed at your eye, Hilary. I love the soft snow perched on the leaves. And of course the cat picture is so beautiful. I'll be leaving Florida Tuesday and heading back to snow...

Sarah Knight said...

Lovely shots! And lovely sentiment : )

Anonymous said...

The kitty in the snow photo is quite remarkable. I really like it!

Di

Brian Miller said...

aw...love that first pic with the kitty...ok hilary, i am done with snow here...stop making me shiver...smiles.

Unknown said...

Outstanding photos as usual, Hilary, and well chosen quotations; especially love the one by Coleridge, very sage.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Thanks for the walk,it was great.

Hilary said...

Beautiful, as always.
That kitty looks like she isn't all that happy about all that snow.

Pauline said...

Your quotes and photos are always symbiotic. I kept going back and looking them again but I can't choose a favorite.

Lynne with an e said...

Beautiful pictures, and married so well with the quotations. I thought I was sick of seeing snow but your photos make me look at it with renewed appreciation.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

I felt like I was really there, and it was beautiful! The quotes...excellent.

Anvilcloud said...

All nicely done as usual, but I like the brightness of the last one.

Out on the prairie said...

The 3rd shot is a favorite.Nice share.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

OH! Kitty!!!!!! All gorgeous pics Hilary :)

Pat - Arkansas said...

Wonderful post, as usual. I am truly smitten with your images, Hilary. The quotations you selected complement them so well.

That cat must have a well-furred bottom. :)

Anonymous said...

What wonderful shots! That cardinal is glorious.

I think I can sense spring just around the corner...

Deborah said...

What amazing photos! wonderful :o)

ellen abbott said...

love the leaves clinging.

Anonymous said...

them them....each and every one!

Mr. Cardinal needs to have his portrait placed on the Tweeter Board! ;-)

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

There's something about this set of images that's just soothing. Soothing and beautiful!

Maggie May said...

That brave little cat sitting amidst all that snow is lovely.

I always think that a bench makes a good photo and one with snow on it is very peaceful somehow.

You have some very colourful birds (compared to ours.)
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Scott Law said...

Great shots. Love the cat in the snow and the cardinal too. Actually I just loved them all.

Kristina P. said...

I really love the pops of color you capture in the dreary weather.

Tabor said...

Looks like I am so late to comment. Your getting more and more popular! These photos make me wonder why you would even want spring to come.

A Slice of My Life said...

Wow Hilary, I had forgotten, in my absence from the blog world how truly wonderful your blog makes me feel. There is such a sense of peacefulness that goes along with the beauty that you have always captured.

larkswing said...

Wow! Amazing photos! I love that first one - still all of them, but that one, so many stories could be concocted from that one.

yaya said...

Fantastic pics! The cat is perfect in that shot..startles your eyes! Love the Cardinal..we have many here that live in the pine trees that surround us..but I've never gotten a shot like yours! We had almost every drop of snow washed away in the rain yesterday..then I woke to a dusting of snow this morning. Somewhere, sometime, Spring will have to arrive!

Joanna Jenkins said...

From the sweet cat to the gorgeous cardinal, this is the way I like to view winter.... in your photos.
Beautiful.
Have a great week, jj

Anonymous said...

I think these are some of my favorites - the cat and the cardinal, especially. And your quotes go with them so perfectly!

Laura said...

Hillary these photos are stunningly beautiful...what a lovely walk, thanks for taking us along with you.

Barb said...

It's sure hard to pick a favorite! If I had to do so, I think I'd choose the Cardinal and the Leaf for the splash of color in winter. But - that kitty pic has such depth. It looks like the beginning scene of a good story.

Friko said...

You can make ordinary sights into extraordinary pictures.

Don said...

Beautiful photos and quotes.

Mental P Mama said...

Always a treat for the eyes and the mind in here;)

ds said...

Okay, I had to investigate the sunrise photos first (spectacular!) and now these. The cat and the cardinal, and I know that bench...I could just sink into it, snow and all...
Thank you as ever for your wonderful vision, and the words you find to describe it.

It's been raining here all day. We are not having a look-forward-to-Spring so much as a winter-may-never-end. Oh, well.
Have a great week, Hilary!

Dianne said...

I love the way snow decorates the places it falls
especially on the trees and bench

the light in the previous post's photos is so wonderful

Happy New week

Carol Anne said...

: )

The Retired One said...

Beautiful captures! I live in the U.P.(Upper Peninsula) of Michigan and we get TONS of snow here. We won't have a meltdown for spring until sometime late in April (if we are lucky)!!

CiCi said...

Hi Hilary, Great pictures. Even snow pictures can be calming. I so like the long shot with the cat posing for you. The snow had all melted here and today it is snowing again so we get to see clean white lawns again.

Leah J. Utas said...

The cat and the cardinal are especially well done. Thank you.

the Bag Lady said...

Wonderful post, Hilary! Love the shot of the cardinal.
And you always find appropriate quotes!

Reb said...

Beautiful Hilary. It's an almost black & white world out there. Some days you have to look hard for the colour.

Sandra said...

Perfect photos and quotes. Thank you.

Daryl said...

That is one truly magical photo .. you need to print it/frame it .. sell it .. I want it ...

Cricket said...

I enjoy our walks. Also, the black-and-whiteness of these color photos. It really sets off the color that manages to creep in.

And as for the previous, sunrise is beautiful. but you know how I feel about that. Last week it was especially nice to watch the dawn through stained glass: Dark at first, then gradually lighting up. It really added to the mood, I think.

A personal choice, but how about Nuages (That Which Passes Passes Like Clouds) by King Crimson? I like that one, anyway.

photowannabe said...

Delightful capture of the cat in the snow and the beautiful cardinal on the branch.
I don't miss having snow here in California but you certainly have photo ops. galore.

Kat said...

Beautiful! And that is really saying something coming from me, seeing as how I am so sick of snow. Still, those pictures are gorgeous and the quotes are perfect!!!! :)

SandyCarlson said...

The cat and the cardinal. I wonder what they are thinking of each other. As always, there is warmth and love in your photos of even the frostiest of places.

Shammickite said...

The cardinal is such a wonderful colour, so bright against the backdrop of snow. I used to see them quite a lot in my previous back yard, but the trees are much smaller at my new house and perhaps the cardinals don't like the neighbourhood so much.

Anonymous said...

Hello, kitty!
But oh! That cardinal and the golden leaf!
Always a pleasure to stop by, Hilary. I hope I am never too busy to do so...

Tammie Lee said...

lovely images, each and every one.
I loved the cat in the path
and some of your quotes made me pause and let them sink in, hopefully deeply!

Unknown said...

Oh, I just love these!

I love the kitty sitting in the snow!

You inspire me to want to get back up on my blogging horse and ride that little pony!

ethelmaepotter! said...

There's just nothing like a cardinal in the snow...unless it's a cat in the snow! But I think my favorite is the duck on the pond - I love the contrast of dark and light and textures! The pond looks like a deep black abyss in places, smooth glass in others, and almost gelatinous where the ducks are swimming.

Dave said...

Nice snowy photos Hilary. I specially liked the cat one, and the last Lewis Carroll quote - Dave

Anonymous said...

The bench is beautiful & the quote so sweet :)

Mage said...

Lovely but sooooooooo cold. Oh, brrrrrrr. Obviously very successful.

Kerri Farley said...

You have paired perfect quotes with beautiful images!
What a Joy it is to visit you!!

Kelly H-Y said...

The shot of the cat is so cool. And, love the ones of the red cardinal and yellow leaf against the black and white of the snow/branches - - really beautiful! Glad to hear your snow is finally melting ... spring is just around the corner.

Liz Mays said...

That is what makes winter so glorious. Your photos are such gifts.

Unspoken said...

I love the cardinal. So beautiful. I miss my cat :). Cute shot!

holdingmoments said...

The quotes and beautiful pictures go perfectly together Hilary.
I could rest a long while on the bench, in the last.

Hilary said...

Thank you everyone for such kind words. I appreciate each and every one of your warm and thoughtful comments.

None of the photos were snapped or changed to black and white. They are all in full colour but the snowy trees sure give a monochromatic effect.

The cat was just sitting there in that little path between residential street and park. She watched me as I walked by and I just had to stop to snap her photo. She obliged me and then turned to walk back toward the street and presumably to her home.

Thanks again, everyone. If I haven't already visited, I'll try to make my way to your blogs soon.

Indrani said...

The snow captures are terrific! We never get to see any here, so these pictures actually thrill me. :)

Suldog said...

To me, nothing ever looks colder than a cat in the snow. There is something about a feline that looks totally out of place in anything wet and below freezing.

Cheryl Kohan said...

I just adore that Lewis Carroll quote! Honestly, Hilary, these photos are works of art. As usual.

Hilary said...

• Indrani, thank you kindly. I'm glad you could enjoy the snow through my photos. It's much warmer this way. ;)

• Suldog, that can certainly be said of my cats - which are indoor critters for the most part. Skittles likes to venture outdoors in warmer weather but as soon as he realizes that the front step is either wet or snowy he has this look on his face which says "Ewww, what did you do here?" I suppose that plenty of cats do like to romp in the snow, though. It's easier to spot mice against the white. ;)

• Thank you so much, Cheryl. That means a lot to me. :)